Continuous multiple spool coiling apparatus for mastic filaments



Feb. 16, 1960 ca. E. HANN ET AL CONTINUOUS MULTIPLE SPOOL COILING APPARATUS FOR MASTIC FILAMENTS 9 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 15, 1956 INVENTORfi,

N: $5 E hm M ny Ma 00 Feb. 16, 1960 Filed June 15, 1956 CONTINUOUS MULTIPLE SPOOL COILING E. HANN ETAL 2,925,227

APPARATUS FOR MASTIC FILAMENTS 9 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS. Gonna/v E. hW/wv JEHA/ R. HUMP/1R5? gdam YTTOHIVE'KE Feb. 16, 1960 G. E. HANN ET AL CONTINUOUS MULTIPLE SPOOL comm; APPARATUS FOR MASTIC FILAMENTS 9 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 15, 1956 INVENTOR-S. Gonomv E. Mew/v EH/v R. HUMP/MP5) BY g4, 7% @2442 Qm arramve'ns Feb. 16, 1960 G. E. HANN ET AL CONTINUOUS MULTIPLE SPOOL comm; APPARATUS FOR MASTIC FILAMENTS 9 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed June 15, 1956 ,yrramve'rs Feb" 16, 1960 G. E. HANN ET AL CONTINUOUS MULTIPLE SPOOL comma APPARATUS FOR MASTIC FILAMENTS 9 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed June 15, 1956 Feb. 1 6, 1960 e. E. HANN ET AL 2,925,227

: CONTINUOUS MULTIPLE SPOOL 001mm; APPARATUS FOR MASTIC FILAMEJNTS Filed June 15, 1956 9 Sheets-Sheet 6 Willi/IA INVENTORS. 60/900 E. Hwy/v JZw/v A; flunP/Mn @rra/P/ve'ys Feb, 16, 1960 G. E. HANN ET AL 2,925,227

CONTINUOUS MULTIPLE SPOOL COILING APPARATUS FOR MASTIC FILAMENTS Filed June 15, 1956 9 Sheets-Sheet 7 arralwvsrs Feb. 16, 1960 G. E. HANN ET AL CONTINUOUS MULTIPLE SPOOL COILING APPARATUS FOR MASTIC FILAMENTS 9 Sheets-Sheet 8 Filed June 15, 1956 INVENTORS. Gonna E. lflmw BY Jmv IE. Hum /mar 1%; -44 M 6 United States Pate CONTINUOUS MULTIPLE sPooL COILING AP- PARATUS FOR MAsrrc FI LAMENTS Cordon E. Harm, Novelty, and John R. Humphrey, Cleveland, Ohio, assignors to The Tremco Mannfac: turing Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation or Ohio Application June 15, 1956, Serial No. 591,673 13 Claims. ((11. 242-455 This invention relates to continuous spool coiling apparatus and more particularly to automatic continuous multiple spool coiling machinery for mastic filaments.

An object of this invention is to provide a machine which will continuously and Without interruption coil mastic filaments on a plurality of spools of predetermined ribbon content.

Another object of this invention is to provide an autoinatic machine having rotary reels which support sets of axially aligned spools whereby each set of axially aligned spools may be progressively advanced to an operative winding position and new stock automatically fed thereto while a previous set of axially aligned spools complete their Winding operation and in connection therewith means for automatically rotating the spools being wound and for automatically advancing these spools beyond the operative winding position when the spools have been filled.

A further object of this invention is to provide continuous spool coiling machinery for mastic ribbons which has improved means for simultaneously severing the ribhons from the wound spools, feeding the leading ends of the ribbons onto newly advanced spools and supporting the trailing ends of the ribbons until they are delivered to the previous set of substantially wound spools.

Another object of this invention is to provide an autoinatic device for coiling mastic filaments comprising a plurality of spools of predetermined mastic content, ro- 'tary reels, means for periodically delivering an arbor having a plurality of axially aligned spools thereon to said reels, means integral with said reels for rotating said arbors and spools to wind the mastic filaments thereon, means for rotating said reels to move a plurality of fully wound spools beyond mastic winding position and simultaneously advance a second set of empty spools into rriastic winding position, means for effecting intermittent actuation of a mastic 'cut-olf blade at periods predeterminedly related to the increasing linear content of the .sp ools and simultaneously with the rotation of said reels, :guide rolls disposed in the path of said mastic filaments "for effecting even ceiling of said mastic upon said spools,

:and means including a clutch for effecting intermittent simultaneous actuation of said reels, guide rolls and mastic out-off blade.

Still another object of the present invention is to prowide an automatic device for coiling mastic filaments simultaneously upon a plurality of spools characterized by its structural simplicity, the ease of assembly of its parts, its strong and sturdy nature and its low manufacturing cost. Other features of this invention reside in the arrangement and design of the parts for carrying out their appropriate functions.

Further objects of the present invention and certain practical advantages will be referred to in or will be evident from the following description of an embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a machine made in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary front elevational view showing details of the rotary reels and guide roll mechanism;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along the plane of line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the machine;

Fig. 5 is an end elevational view showing details of the driving means;

Fig. 6 is a vertical cross sectional view taken along the plane of line 66 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view showing the gear reduction mechanism;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary view of the star wheel and its associated mechanism;

Fig. 9 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional View showing the clutch and its associated mechanism;

Fig. 10 is a diagrammatic fragmentary sectional view illustrating the mode of operation of the transfer mecha nism;

Fig. 11 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the mastic cut-off knife shown cooperating with the core of an empty spool during the course of a transfer operation;

' Fig. 12 is an enlarged plan view of the resilient mastic cut-off knife; l I

Fig. 13 is "a diagrammatic view of the electrical circuit used "in conjunction with thelpresent machine.

Before describing in detail the herein disclosed embodi ment of the invention, it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the structural details or the particular arrangement of parts herein shown, as devices embodying the present invention may take other forms. It is also to be understood that the phraseology and terminology herein used are for purposes of description and not of limitation, as the scope of the present invent is denoted by the appended claims.

With reference to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the machine comprises a pair of spaced aligned reels 10 and 11 secured to a central drive shaft 12 having its distal ends journaled for rotation in aligned bosses 13 and 14 which are supported on cross frame members 15 and 16 respectively of the machine. The reels are rotated intermittently, as hereinafter described, and detachably support two arbors or mandrels such as 17 and 18 as seen in Figs. 2, 3, and 10 at any given time in uniformly spaced series circumferentially around the axis of the shaft 12. The mandrels function is to support a plurality of axially aligned spools 19 upon which the mastic filament is wound to produce the finished rolled product. The spools are held against rotation on the mandrels by end plates 20 and 21 which rigidly engage the mandrels and force adjacent spools against each other. In the present instance, the mastic ribbons or filaments may be extruded from any suitable source such as 22, as seen in Fig. 1, in such a manner that the mastic filaments will travel continuously to each of the spools 19. The mastic filament is to be wound .in successive predetermined lengths upon the spools 19 supported on their respective mandrels. As seen in Figs. 2 and 10, the spools on arbors 18 have re ceived their full complement of mastic filament and the seen in Figs. 1, 2 and 5.

. tially spaced, 90 degrees about said reel,

mastic filaments until they are all substantially delivered to the fully wound spools on arbor 18. Means is provided, as hereinafter described, for rotating the spools during the entire period that the arbors are; contained between the reels and 11.

As seen in Figs. 10 and 11, after the mastic filament or ribbon 24 has been wiped onto the core of the empty spools, the reels 10 and 11 are held stationary in the indexed position, as seen in Fig. 10 during which time the winding of the mastic filament upon the empty spools is accomplished. After the empty spools are fillled, the reels rotate in a clockwise direction as seen in Fig. 10 and the fully wound spools on arbor 18 are carried away along a discharge track 25-as seen in Fig. 3 by suitable conveying means hereinafter described. After the spools on arbor 17 have been fully wound with mastic filament, arbor 17 is moved beyondthe mastic Winding position to the position of arbor 18 as seen in Fig. 10, and simultaneously an arbor containing empty spools is moved into position from a lower feed track 26 seen in Fig. 3 by suitable conveying means hereinafter described. Suitable projecting means are provided in the reels 10 and 11 for engaging and releasing the arbors and will be fully described hereinafter.

The means for rotating the arbors containing the axially aligned spools during the periods when the spools are being wound with the mastic filament, is best seen pressure tending to urge the spindle into an extended position, as shown in Fig. 2. For the purpose of retracting the spindle 50 so that the arbor may be automatically removed from the reels, camming means are provided for the cam follower 56. The camming means consist of a collar 59, having a cammed surface 591:, mounted on a hollow cylindrical member 60 which is rigidly secured to the cross frame members 16 and 61 of the machine by'means of bolts 62. As seen in Fig. 2, the hub 63 of reel 11 is rigidly secured for rotation to the shaft 12 by means of pin 64. As the reel'll rotates the cam follower 56 together with the coil spring 58 causes the spindles to reciprocate in accordance with the cam surface 59a provided by the stationary collar 59. A spindle 50 is shown in the retracted position as it engages the cam surface at the bottom of the collar 59. In this position the outer end of the spindle would be out of'engagement with the arbors. This occurs just as an empty reel is received from the feed track 26.

Means is provided as heretofore stated for rotating or indexing the reels 10 and 11. Reel 10 is also mounted for rotation with the shaft 12 by a pin 66. The shaft 12 extends outwardly beyond the frame of the machine, or to the left as seen in Fig. 2, and is provided with a drive wheel 68 at its outer ends. The outer face of the drive wheel 68 is provided with a square cam groove 6 9 having offset portions 69a at each of the four corners in Fig. 2 A central drive gear 30 is rotatably mounted on shaft 12 by means of spaced bearings 31 and 32- and is provided with a sprocket gear 33 exteriorly ofv the reel housing 34. The sprocket gear 33 is connected through a chain 35 to .a variable speed motor 36, as The 'gear 30 meshes with a pinion 37 journalled for rotation on a pin 38'secured to the spider .39 of the reel 10. The pinion 37 meshes in turn with a gear element 40 journalled on a shaft 41 which takes the form of a spindle having a tapered outer end 41a. The tapered outer end 41a of the spindle is provided with a small pin 41!: which engages cross slots 13a in arbors 18. The spindle 41 is mounted for rotation between suitable beveled bearings 42 which are supported within a suitable inner housing 43 contained in an aperture provided in the spider 39 of the reel 10. The spindles are provided with projecting cover 44 for the purpose of preventing dirt and other undesirable materials from entering. The portion of the spindle adjacent the tapered outer end is also supported in suitable bearings and sealing means 45 which are attached to the inner housing 43 by means of screws 46. It will be understood that there is a total of four such spindles 41 and associated driving means circumfereneach being driven by the central gear 30, via pinions similar to 37.

Reel 11 as viewed in Fig. 2 is also provided with four circumferentially spaced spindles which arein axial alignment with the spindles 41 of reel 10. The spindles 50 of reel 11 and the spindles 41 of reel 10 cooperate to support the arbors between them. Only the spindles of reel 10 are provided with the driving means and the spindle of the right-hand reel act as supports and followers. The spindles 50 are supported for rotation within anti-friction bearings 51' which are contained within a cylindrical member SZhaving end pieces 52a and 52b. The cylindrical member 52, together with spindle 50 are designed for reciprocation within still another cylindrical member 500 which is rigidly secured to the spider 54 of the reel. The spindle and bearing members are all protected by a projecting cover 53 which is received with an aperture contained in the spider 54 of reel 11. Each of the spindles 56 is formed with an elongated shaft 500! which extends through the outer wall of the reel 11 and is provided at its outer end with a cam follower 56. Each of the spindles 5i) is splined or keyed to a sleeve 57 carried in wall 55 and carries a coil spring 58 which normallyexerts a of said square cam groove, as seen in Fig. 5. A lever is operatively connected with the cam groove 69 through the medium of a roller 71 which projects from one end of the lever 70 into the cam' groove 69, as best shown in Figs. 2 and 4. The other end of the lever 70 is pivotally connected to an arm 72 by pin 73. The arm '72 is in turn connected for rotation with a drive shaft 74, as best seen in Fig. 9. The drive shaft 74- is driven by the variable speed motor 36 through a clutch 75 whose action will hereinafter be described. It will be understood that one complete revolution of the drive shaft 74 causes the lever arm 70 to reciprocate back and forth through one cycle. Thus, as seen in Fig. 5, the drive wheel 68 is caused to rotate in a counterclockwise direction as indicated by the arrow A, through an angle of degrees. In other words, as the lever 70 is moving to the right to the dot-dash position, as seen in Fig. 5, it causes the reel to be rotated through an angle of 90 degrees, then the lever returns to the left, to the full line position. Indents 69a of the cam groove 69 are so constructed as to retain the roller 1 on the working stroke of the lever to the right (shown in dot-dash lines) and to freely release the roller during the levers return stroke to the left, as viewed in Fig. '5.

The outer periphery of the drive wheel 68 is provided with four notches 68a spaced 90 degrees apart on its periphery. A roller 27 travels along the outer periphery of the drive wheel and is adapted to engage the notches 68a during each 90 degrees of rotation of wheel 68. A lever arm 28 is pivoted at its upper end to the frame 29 of the machine and urges the ,roller into the notches .winding .of the empty spools contained on the new.ad-

vanced arbors. 1

V The indexedor winding position of the reel is that position occupied by the reel when it: is stationary and the arbors and their associated spools are in theposition shown in Fig. 10. In this position, the spools at the upper end of the reel on arbor 18 are substantially fully wound and the spools at the lower end of the reel on arbor 17 are in the process of receiving the leading end apes-p27 of the'severed mastic filament 24 through the action of the severing means 23. Thus, thev position occupied by the lower set of spools on arbor 17 is the winding position. It will be further understood that one stroke of the lever arm 70 causes the spools on arbor 17 to move into the position occupied by the spools on arbor 18 at the upper end of the re el. H

Means is provided for automatically feeding the arbors and associated spools forward to the reels for indexing and spool winding operation and also for automatically discharging the arbors and spools from the reels. Referring to Figs. 3 and 6, arbors containing empty spools are fed to a sloping feed rack 80 which is pivoted at 81 near its outer end. The arbors roll freely to the position shown by arbors 82, 83, 84 etc., in Fig. 3. So long as one arbor remains on the feed rack 80 its weight is sufiicient to overcome that of coil spring 85, which tends to raise the feed rack 80, and safety limit switch LS4 remains closed. Safety limit switch LS.-2 associated with the feed rack 80 automatically breaks the circuit as soon as the feed rack is emptied of arbors. However, when there are no longer any. arbors on the feed rack 80, then coil spring 85 urges the feed rack into a position where it no longer engages the safety limit switch LS-Z, thereby causing the switch to break the circuit, thereby causing the machine to cease operation. As seen in Figs. 3 and 6, the feed track 26 comprises a pair of spaced horizontal tracks, each having an upstanding side rail 87 which confines the arbors and their associated spools upon the track. The feed track extends forwardly to a point where it is in tangential alignment with the lowest point on the circular path traversed by the spindles of the reels 10 and 11. The discharge track 25 receives the arbors and spools after they have been fully wound with mastic material and carries them to the rear of the machine. The discharge track 25 is in tangential alignment with the highest point of the circular path traversed by the spindles of reels 10 and 11. Two pairs of chain pulleys cooperate to move the arbors and spools along the feed and discharge tracks. The front pulleys 88 are rigidly secured to the shaft 12, as seen in Fig. 2, while the rear pulleys 89 are mounted for rotation on shaft 90 which has its distal ends journalled for rotation in suit able bearings 91 and 92 secured to brackets 93 and. 94 in turn fastened to the frame of the machine. A continuous chain 93a is provided for each pair of pulleys. A plurality of evenly spaced outwardly projecting fingers 94a, are provided over the entire length. of the chains 93 12. The fingers extend out far enough to push the arbors along the tracks 25 and 26. The operation of the arbor advancing mechanism should now be apparent. As lever 70 'reciprocates, as heretofore described, the reels 10 and 11 and main shaft 12 are caused to rotate through an angle of 90 degrees. Rotation of the main shaft causes the front pulley members 88 to be rotated and they in turn rotate the rear pulleys 89 through continuous chains 93a. With each quarter turn of the reels, :5. new arbor containing empty spools is advanced along the feed track 26 to a point where it is engaged by the spindles of the reels and an arbor containing filled spools of mastic filament is released onto the discharge track 25 to be carried rearwardly of the machine.

Novel trigger mechanism is provided for feeding one arbor at a time to the feed track 26. As seen in Fig. 3, the end of the feed track 26 adjacent feed rack 80 contains raised portion 2.6a over which the arbors must first travel before they reach the feed track 26 and become engaged by the fingers 94. A pair of aligned triangular shaped members 95 form the triggers and are rigidly secured to a rotatable shaft 96 just inside the feed tracks 26. The shaft 96 is rigidly connected to a link member 97 which in turn is pivotally connected to a lever ment- 98. The lever 98 is pivotally connected to an 'arm 99 whieh is pivoted to the frame of the machine and has a sane 100 projecting from its othef end which is adapted for engagement with the catnmed surface of a star wheel 101 which isrigidly secured to the shaft as seen in Figs.,.6 and 8. i As thefrear pulley 89 is driven by the front pulley .88, ;as' heretofore' explained, the shaft 90 causes the 'starwheel 101 to rotate through 90 degrees and thereby reciprocate thelever 98 and link member 97 about the arm 99 in sucha manner as to cause the trigger members to pivot forwardly or counterclockwise as viewed in Fig. 3 about the shaft 96, carrying with it one arbor at the time; The arbor 30 carried is caused to clear the raised portion 26a and become engaged by the fingers 94a to be carried a-longthe track 26. Rotation of the star wheel 101 through90 degrees also returns the trigger members 95 (by;clockwise rotation) to the initial position; as shown in Fig. 3.

Means is provided for simultaneously severing the mastic ribbons, wiping the leading ends of said ribbons on the newly advanced spools so as to institute the winding operation on said spools and supporting the trailing ends until the ribbon is substantially delivered to the spools which have already been substantially fully wound; Said severing means includes a knifesupporting frame 105, as best seen inrFigs. 1 and 4, which extends across the front of the machine and is rigidly secured to a shaft 106 which has its distal. ends journalled for rotation in suitable outstanding brackets 107 and 108 secured to the upstanding vertical framem'embers 109 and 109a. A plurality of spaced arms 110 :project outwardly from the longitudinal edge of said blade frame support 105. Each outwardly projecting member 110 has a resilient blade 111 constructed of rubber or other suitable material, secured thereto by a reinforcing stiffening plate 112 and screws 113, as seen in Figs. 11 and 12. .In Fig. 11, the trailing side of this blade, is shown provided with a tapered surface 114 which slo'pes atan angle of approximately 45 degrees. As seen, in -Fig. 12, the resilient blade is provided with a V notch. 115along its outer edge substantially intermediate its side edges. The V-notch 115 is provided to increase the lateral resiliency of the blade 111 so as to insure that the blade squeezes together on contact with the spool flanges 20, instead of bending backwardly and thereby improve the cut-off action. The blades each have .a width greater than the width of the mastic ribbon or filament 24 and less than thewidth of one of the spools 19. As seen in Fig. 11, the resilient blade is supported over a substantial portion of its height by plate 112 so. as to impart the desired amount of rigidity to the blade. It will be understood that a resilient blade 111 is provided for each spool con- .tained on an arbor. The severing mechanism is actuated by variable speed motor 36 which drivesshaft 74 through clutch 75, drive gear 116 rigidly secured to the shaft 74 and driven gear 117 which isurigidly secured to the end of shaft 106 as best seen in Eigs.'3-, 4 and 9. Referring to Fig. 10, the operation of the severing means will be quite evident. As the reels index or rotate from one indexing position to another for a total of 90 degrees the first set of axially aligned spools on arbor 18 which have been fully wound move. in a clockwise direction, as seen in Fig. 10 and simultaneously a second set of axially aligned empty spools on arbor 17 are advanced into a mastic winding position .asfl shown. During the indexing movement in which thereels rotate 90 degrees, the mastic cut-off blade 111 and its associated support frame 105 are caused to 'rotate360 degrees in a counterclockwise direction as viewed, in, Fig; 10. At the dot dash position A, the resilientblade intersects the mastic ribbon 24 and moves upwardly with the material as the material continues to be wound on the substantially fully wound spools on arbor 18 (which are moving into the position shown in Fig. '10)". The mastic ribbon is severed by the resilient blade 111 when the blade reaches the full line position '3 wherein it strikes the core 118 of the empty spool on arbor 17 and is caused to deflect slightly as best. seen in Fig. 11, wherein the mastic ribbon is sheared between the complementary action of the blade and the surface of the core .118. Simultaneously with the severing of the ribbon 24, the leading end'of the severed ribbon is wiped upon the core 118 of the newly advanced empty spool on arbor 17 while the trailing end of the severed ribbon is supported on the edge of the resilient blade, as seen in Fig. l0,until the blade reaches the position C as'shown in dot-dash lines in Fig. 10. At this point, the material breaks away from the knife edge and is delivered onto the substantially full wound spools on arbor 18 by self-winding action of said spools. it will be understood that the rotation of the spools upon their arbors is continuous during the entire period that the spools remain in contact between the spindles of the reels and 11. It should now be apparent that the severingand winding action is a continuous one without interruption. The knife blades are timed to operate simultaneously with the indexing of the reels through clutch 74. As seen in Fig. 9, a cam wheel 117a is also secured to shaft 106 and is provided with a concave portion on its periphery which complements the periphery'of wheel 116a secured to shaft 74 so as to maintain the blades in the position as seen in Fig. 3 when the knife is not in use. Members 116a and 11711 are constructed so as to in no way interfere with the rotation of shafts 7-4 and 186 during the knife driving operation.

Means is provided to guide the mastic ribbon so that it will wind in continuous spirals or smooth even layers upon the core of the spools 19. Each mastic ribbon or filament is guided by a pair of outstanding elongated cylindrical rollers 119 and 120, as best seen in Figs. 2, 3, 4 and 5. A plurality of pairs of guide rolls are mounted on suitable base members 121 which are in turn rigidly supported upon a bar 122. The bar 122 is pivotally mounted to a longitudinally extending shaft 123 by means of end supports 124 and 125. End brackets 126 and 127 are secured to each end of the shaft 123 between two collars 128 and 129 thereby providing limited movement of the brackets 126, 127 along the aforesaid shaft 123. The end brackets 126 and 127 are secured to a pair of parallel links 130 and 131, each of which is pivotally secured to a cross frame member 132 of the machine. The parallel links 130 and 131 form somewhat of a parallelogram linkage and when pivoted about the frame member 132 cause the guide rolls to reciprocate or oscillate to and fro in front of and slightly below the empty spools on arbor 17, when in an operative winding A tension spring 133, secured between linkposition. 131 and frame member 132, tends to urge thelinkage into the position shown in Fig. 2. For the purpose of providing automatic and continuous oscillation of the guide rollers, a lever 134 pivoted at 135 to the cross frame member 132 has one end pivotally connected to an arm 136 which in turn is pivotally connected to the link 130 at 137. It will be noted that the link 138 is provided with an elongated slot 130a while the arm 136 is provided with'an elongated slot 136a so as to provide additional free' movement between these two members. The other end of lever 134 is connected to a heart-shaped cam wheel 138 through the medium of a roller 139 which projects from the end of a lever into engagement with the surface of cam 138, as best shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 5. The heart-shaped cam 138 is driven through a reduction gear box140 by the variable speed motor 36 via chain 141. Retention spring 133 through its associated linkage tends at all times to urge the roller 139 of lever 134 into engagement with the heart-shaped cam 138. During the operation of the machine, the heart-shaped cam 138 is continuously driven so that the guide rollers are caused to continuously oscillate in front of the empty spools to perform their mastic ribbon guiding function. 7 As seen in Fig. 3, the guide rolls 119 and 128 in their normal operative position lie in the path of normal rotation of the mastic cut-oif knife mechanism when such mechanism is put into operation during the indexing of the reels 10 and 11. Means are therefore provided withdraw the guide rolls from the path of said severing mechanism. It will be seen that the end support 124 which supports the cross bar 122 is provided with an extension portion 124a to which is secured a bar member 142 which projects through an opening in the bottom of bracket 143 which depends from end bracket 126. The bracket 126 supports a coil spring 144 which surrounds bar 142 and rests on a washer 145 to normally urge the guide rolls into a substantially upright operative position, as seen in Figs. 2, 3, 4 and 5. In order to cause the guide rolls, as seen in Fig. 3, to pivot in a counterclockwise direction about the shaft 123, so as not to interfere with the rotation of mastic cut-off knives 111, suitable parallelogram linkages are connected to the left end of the guide rollers, as seen in Figs. 3, 4 and 5. This linkage consists of a lever member pivoted at one end to bracket 10') and at the other end to rod 151 which is in turn pivoted at its other end to extension portion 124a provided on the undersurface of the end support member 124. The lever 150 is provided with a roller 150a which coacts with a cam 152 which is designed to cause the guide rolls-to be pivoted downwardly or in a clockwise direction, as seen in Fig. 3, about shaft 123' to the dotdash position 120a wherein it does not interfere with the operation of. knife 111. The cam 152 is rigidly secured tothe drive shaft 74 which is driven by motor 36 through clutch 75, as hereinafter described.

Means is provided for operatively connecting the drive means with the reel 10, the mastic cut-off blades 111 and guide rolls 119 and 120'for effecting an intermediate simultaneous actuation of said reels, guide rolls and mastic cut-off blades. Said means, in part, take the form of a clutch 75, as best seen in Fig. 9. The clutch 75' is of the common single revolution variety, and is loosely mounted on the drive shaft 74. A sprocket gear 155 is rigidly secured to one end of the clutch housing and is continuously driven by chain 156 which is connected to drive motor 36, as seen in Fig. 5. An electric solenoid 157, as seen in Figs. 3, 4, 5, and 9, is secured to bracket 107 directly beneath the clutch. A lever 158, seen in Fig. 3, is pivotally mounted on bracket 159 and is normally urged into contact with the hub 160 of said clutch by means of a tension spring 161 and thereby maintains the clutch disengaged from the drive shaft 74. The solenoid is provided with a movable core member 162, which is attached to the lever 158, and upon energization of the solenoid the core member 162 draws the lever member downwardly or out of engagement with the hub 160 of the clutch, thereby actuating the clutch mechanism to frictionally engage the drive shaft 74. It will be understood that this particular clutch is designed to rotate one complete revolution and then come to rest or in other. words disengage the drive shaft 74 after turning said shaft through one complete revolution, upon the energization of solenoid 157 through the intermittent closing of certain switches hereinafter de-- scribed. Rotation of the drive shaft 74 causes actuation gears is continuously driven by a common drive gear which is associated with the gear reductor14i The small timing gear 163 is of such a size as to permit a 'smali spool to be fully Wound with mastic material during one complete revolution of this gear. The gear is provided with a projecting lug 163a which engages a limit switch LS-S once during each'revolut-ion of the gear; The

limit switch LS-S is connected by a suitable electrical circuit, as hereinafter described with the solenoid -157 which actuates the clutch 75. The large timing' gear V 164 being of greater diameter than the small gear 163 takes longer to make a complete revolution, since both gears are driven by the common drive gear 165, and thereby permits the filling of larger spools. The large gear 164 is provided with a projecting lug 164a which engages an associated limit switch LS4 also connected to the solenoid 157, by means of a suitable circuit, hereinafter described. It will be understod that only one of the limit switches 163 or 164 is used at a particular time and this is determined by the particuar size of spool being wound. Suitable means not herein shown are associated with each of these switches for rendering one or the other inactive by the operator.

The gear reductor 140 is supported on a bracket 168 which projects from frame member 169 as seen in Figs. 2, 4 and 7 and is provided with a sprocket gear 167 which is connected to the variable speed drive motor 36 by means of a chain 141. The gear reductor 140 continuously drives the heart-shaped cam wheel 138 at a speed of rotation somewhat slower than that of the sprocket gear 167. The drive gear 165 is also continuous- 1y driven by the gear reductor at an appropriate speed. A suitable manual control 136a is provided at the front of the machine as seen in Fig. 1 for controlling the speed of motor 36. The details of this control are not shown since they form no part of the invention.

Referring now to Fig. 13 wherein we have shown a suitable electric circuit for the present machine, the variable speed drive motor 36 is of the normal threephase type and receives its power through the usual 220 volt circuit via gang switch 170 and lines L1, L2 and L3. The lines are provided with suitable contactors C1, C2 and C3 and heaters 171 and 172. A pair of lead lines 173and 174 of 220 volts provide the side lines of the circuit for the machine. side lines is line 175 which contains main switch 178 which includes the start switch 179, stop switch 180 and a jog or run switch 181 for manual control of the ma chine. Additional start and stop switches 182 and 183 respectively, are also contained in line 175. Line 175 contains a pair of limit switches LS-l and LS2 and suitable contactors 175a and a motor starting relay 175b. A second line 184 connected in parallel with the side lines 173 and 174 includes limits switch LS4 and LS- which are associated with timing wheels 163 and 164 respectively, as heretofore described and are connected in parallel by lines 185 and 186 and controlled by a manually operated switch 187 selectively set by the operator depending upon whether a large or small spool is to be wound. The solenoid 157 is included in the line 184 and is connected to clutch 188 which is actuated upon energization of the solenoid 157. From the solenoid the line 184 is connected to the side line 174 and thereby completes the circuit. When the motor starter relay coil 1751) becomes energized the contacts C1, C2 and C3 close to start the motor 36. If the motor is overloaded the heaters 171 and 172 heat and open the normally closed contacts 175a and open the circuit thereby stopping, motor 36.

The general mode of operation of the present invention should now be apparent. Arbors having empty spools thereon are manually fed by an operator to the feed rack 80, after which the operator presses the start switch 179, as seen in the electrical circuit and shown at the front of the machine in Fig. 4. As long as at least one arbor remains in contact with the free end of the feed rack, the feed rack keeps the limit switch LS-Z closed, thereby maintaining the circuit and the machine continues to operate. After the last arbor has been removed from the feed rack, the feed rack is caused to automatically pivot about point 81 by spring 85. Switch LS-2 then breaks the circuit and the machine is automatically stopped. The trigger 95 feeds the mandrels from the feed rack 80 singly to the feed track 26 along Connected in parallel with the 10 which they are carried by means of fingers 94a secured to the continuous chain 93.

As the spools on a particular arbor become filled with mastic filament, one of the timing wheels 163 or 164 (depending upon the size of spool being filled) closes the circuit to solenoid 157 which becomes energized and causes the clutch to be actuated so that it engages the drive shaft 74 and causes it to rotate through one revolution. One revolution of the drive shaft 74 simultaneously causes: rotation of the reels 19 and 11 through an angle of degrees, by means of the lever 70; rotation of the mastic cut-off blade through a complete circle of 360 degrees, wherein, the mastic ribbons are severed, the leading ends of the severed ribbons wiped onto the cores of the newly advanced spools so as to institute the winding operation on said spools and the trailing ends of the severed ribbons supported until they are delivered to the spools which are just completing their winding operation; and deflection of the guide rolls 119 and out of the path of rotation of the mastic cut-ofi knife, via cam 152 which is rigidly secured to the drive shaft 74. After the cam 152 has turned a full revolution with shaft 74 the spring 144 urges the guide rolls into their upright position wherein they oscillate to and fro before the spools presently being wound, so as to produce even coiling of the mastic filaments upon said spools. Simultaneously with the rotation or indexing of reels 10 and 11 the continuous chains 93 and their associated fingers 94 are actuated and advance an arbor containing empty spools along feed track 26 and remove an arbor containing filled spools along discharge track 25. As the arbors containing empty spools are fed along feed track 26, they are picked up by the spindles of the reels 10 and 11 at the tagent point where the path of the spindles intersects the feed track 26. The spindles 50 of reel 11 are withdrawn by the cam surface 59a of collar 59 prior to engaging one end of the arbors and at the point at which the spindle is to engage the arbor the cam surface 59a is. so designed that the spindle 50 is moved axially inwardly to engage the end of the arbor and force the arbor into engagement with the spindle 41 of reel 10. The arbors are supported circumferentially about the reels in axial alignment with the axis of rotation of the reels. Although there are actually four spindles in each reel, no more than two mandrels are ever carried by the reels at one time. Each of the arbors is provided with a hollow end to receive one of the tapered end portions of the spindles 41 and 50. The cam surface of collar 59 is so designed that the spindles of reel 11 engage the ends of the mandrels as they are fed from the feed rack and carried through their winding positions. After the spools have been fully wound with mastic filament, the spindles are retracted from the arbor, by the contour of cam surface 59a at the exact point at which the arbor containing the full spools reaches the discharge track 25; the arbor is then carried along the discharge track toward the rear of the machine where it may be manually removed. Another safety device exists in connection with the discharge track 25. This device takes the form of a discharge rack 190 pivoted at 191 to the track 25. When there are no arbors on the discharge rack 190, the switch LS-l remains closed and the machine continues to operate. When the first arbor progresses to the discharge rack 190 the weight of the arbor pivots rack 190 about pivot 191 in a clockwise direction, or to the position as seen in Fig. 3. A finger 190a is pivotally mounted at 19% on the left-hand end of rack 190 and extends above the upper surface of the rack 190 to intercept the second arbor. When the second arbor contacts the finger 190a, the finger rotates clockwise to the position of Fig. 3 to open switch LS-l which breaks the electrical circuit and stops the machine. Thus, the function. of the LS4 switch is to stop the machine if the number one arbor is not removed from the discharge rack 190. This awn-s2 mechanism thus prevents the rolls from jamming .together at the discharge end at the machine. -The opera- ,tion of the present machine is thus seen to be an automatic and continuous one of feeding empty spools to a spool winding position, filling said spools with mastic material, and moving said fully wound spools beyond the mastic winding position and finally discharging said filled spools to a convenient location at the rear of the machine.

In view of the foregoing description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, it is believed that a clear understanding of the construction, operation and advantages of the device will be quite apparent to those .skilled in this art.

Having thus described our invention and illustrated its ,use, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

aligned spindles circumferentially mounted about said vreels, means for periodically actuating said spindles to ,cause the latter to enter the respective ends of said arbors and thereby pick up the latter, means integral "with said reels for rotating said arbors and spools to wind the mastic filaments thereon, means for rotating said reels to advance a first spool containing arbor beyond mastic winding position and simultaneously moving a second spool containing arbor into proximity to the path of the mastic filaments, a projecting mastic cut-off knife disposed adjacent said reels and movable into the path of said mastic filaments, means for effecting intermittent actuation of said knife at periods predeterminedly related to the increasing linear content of the spools and simultaneously with the rotation of said reels, means on said knife responsive to its actuation to simultaneously sever said mastic filaments and wipe the leading ends of said filaments onto the spools of said second spool containing arbor while retaining the trailing ends of said severed filaments until the same are substantially delivered to the spools of said first spool containing arbor, guide rolls disposed in the path of said mastic filaments, means for oscillating said guide rolls axially with respect to said arbors for effecting even coiling of said mastic upon said spools, and means including a clutch for effecting intermittent simultaneous actuation of said reels, guide rolls and mastic cut-ofi knife.

2. In a machine for continuously coiling mastic filaments upon a plurality of spools of predetermined mastic content, rotary reels, means for periodically delivering an arbor having a plurality of axially aligned spools thereon to said reels, a plurality of axially spaced and aligned spindles circumferentially mounted about said reels, means for periodically actuating said spindles to cause the latter to enter the respective ends of said arbors and thereby pick up the latter, means integral with said reels for rotating said arbors and spools to wind the mastic filaments thereon, means for rotating said reels to advance a first spool containing arbor beyond mastic winding position and simultaneously moving a second spool containing arbor into proximity to the path of the mastic filaments, a projecting mastic cut-off knife disposed adjacent said reels and movable into the path of said mastic filaments, means for efiecting intermittent actuation of said knife at periods predeterminedly related to the increasing linear content of the spools and simultaneously with the rotation of said reels, means on said knife responsive to its actuation to simultaneously sever said mastic filaments and wipe the leading ends of said filaments onto the spools of said second spool containing arbor while retaining the trailing ends of said several filaments until the same are substantially delivered to the spools of said first spool en erin a bo n tm e ud sa c c to a er ing intermittent simultaneous actuation of said reel and mastic cutoff knife.

3. In a machine for continuously coiling mastic lfilaments upon a plurality of spools of predetermined mastic content, rotary reels, means for periodically delivering an arbor having a plurality of axially aligned spools thereon to said reels, a plurality of axially spaced and aligned spindles circumferentially mounted about said reels, means for periodically actuating said spindles to cause the latter to enter the respective ends of said arbors and thereby pick up the latter, means integral with said reels for rotating said arbors and spools to wind the mastic filaments thereon, means for rotating said reels to advance a first spool containing arbor beyond mastic Winding position and simultaneously moving a second spool containing arbor into proximity to the path of the mastic filaments, guide rolls disposed in the path of said mastic filaments, means for oscillating said guide rolls axially with respect to said arbors for effecting even coiling of said mastic upon said spools, and means including a clutch for efiecting intermittent simultaneous actuation of said reel and guide rolls.

4. In a machine for continuously coiling mastic filaments upon a plurality of spools of predetermined mastic content, rotary reels, at least a pair of arbors each having a plurality of axially aligned spools, a plurality of axially spaced and aligned spindles circumferentially mounted about said reels, means for periodically actuating said spindles to cause the latter to enter the respective ends of said arbors and thereby pick up the latter, means integral with said reels for rotating said arbors and spools to wind the mastic filaments thereon, means for rotating said reels to advance a first spool containing arbor beyond mastic winding position and simultaneously moving a second spool containing arbor into proximity to the path of the mastic filaments, guide rolls disposed in the path of said mastic filaments, means for oscillating said guide rolls axially with respect to said arbors for efiecting even coiling of said mastic upon said spools, and means including a clutch for efiecting intermittent simultaneous actuation of said reel and guide rolls.

5. In a machine for simultaneously coiling mastic ribbons on a plurality of spools of predetermined ribbon content, a rotary reel, means for supporting a plurality of spools rotatably in circumferentially spaced relation on said reel, means for rotating said spools to wind the mastic ribbons thereon, means for rotating said reel to move a plurality of spools beyond mastic winding position and simultaneously advancing a second set of spools into mastic winding position, a mastic cut-off blade movable into the path of said mastic ribbons and into engagement with the cores of said newly advanced spools, means on said blade for simultaneously severing said ribbons and wiping the leading ends of said mastic ribbons on said newly advanced spools so as to institute the winding operation on said spools while supporting the trailing ends of the severed ribbons until the same are substantially delivered to said first set of spools, means for effecting intermittent actuation of said mastic cut-ofi knife at periods predeterminedly related to the linear content of said mastic ribbons on said spools, means oscillatably movable in front of said spools and in the path of said mastic ribbons to guide the mastic for even coiling upon said spools.

6. In a machine for coiling mastic ribbon on a spool of predetermined ribbon content, a rotary reel, means for supporting a plurality of spools rotatably on said reel, means for rotating said spools to wind the mastic ribbon thereon, means for rotating said reel to move a first spool beyond mastic winding position and simultaneously advance a second spool into mastic winding position, a mastic cut-off blade movable into the path of said mastic F bP-Q nd. in! engageme t with t e bor 9f a d ew y .to said first spool, means for effecting intermittent actua-' tion of said mastic cut-off knife at periods predetermined 1y related to the linear content of said mastic ribbon on 'said spool, means oscillatably movable in front of the spool in mastic winding position and in the path of said mastic ribbon to guide the mastic for even coiling upon said latter spool.

'7. In a machine for simultaneously coiling mastic ribbons on a plurality of spools of predetermined ribbon content, a rotary reel, means for supporting a plurality of axially aligned spools rotatably in circumferentially spaced relation on said reel, means for rotating said spools to wind the mastic ribbons thereon, means for rotating said reel to move a first set of axially aligned spoolsbeyond mastic winding position and simultaneously advance a second set of axially aligned spools into mastic Winding position, a plurality of mastic cut-off blades movable into the path of said mastic ribbons and into engagement with the cores of said newly advanced spools, means on said blades for simultaneously severing the mastic ribbons wound on said first set of spools from said first mentioned ribbons and wiping the leading ends of said severed ribbons on said newly advanced spools so as to institute another mastig winding operation on said latter spools while supporting the trailing ends of the severed mastic ribbons until the same are substantially delivered to said first set of spools, said last named means comprising aresilient element on each of said blades having a width greater than the Width of any of said mastic ribbons and less than the width of any of said spools, said resilient member having a tapered end portion and a ,V-shaped notch in the outer edge of the latter, each of said resilient members coacting with the core of its associated spool, guide means oscillatably movable in front of said spools and in the path of said mastic ribbons to guidethe mastic for even coiling upon said spools, said guide means comprising a plurality of pairs of parallel rollers arranged in series longitudinally of said spools, each said mastic ribbon passing freely through the space between its associated pair of rollers.

8. In a machine for simultaneously coiling mastic ribbons on a plurality of spools of predetermined ribbon content, a rotary reel, means for supporting a plurality of axially aligned spools rotatably in circumierentially spaced relation on said reel, means for rotating said spools to wind the mastic ribbons thereon, means for rotating said reel to move a first set of axially aligned spools beyond mastic Winding position and simultaneously advance a second set of axially aligned spools into mastic winding position, a plurality of mastic cut-ofi blades movable into the path of said mastic ribbons and into engagement with the cores of said newly advanced spools, means on said blades for simultaneously severing the mastic ribbons wound on said first set of spools from said first mentioned ribbons and wiping the leading ends of said severed ribbons on said newly advanced spools so as to institute another mastic winding operation on said latter spools while supporting the trailing ends of the severed ribbons until the same are substantially delivered to said first set of spools, said last named means comprising a resilient element on each or said blades having a width greater than the width of any of said mastic ribbons and less than the width of any of said spools, said resilient member having a tapered end portion and a V-shaped notch in the outer edge of the latter coacting avith the core of its associated spool, means for effecting intermittent actuation of said mastic cut-off blades at periods predeterminedly related to the linear content of said mastic ribbons on said spools, guide means oscillatably movable in front of said spools and in the path of said mastic ribbons to 14 liide the masticfor even coiling upon said spools, said guide means comprising aplurali-ty of pairs of parallel rollers arranged in series longitudinally of said spools, cach s-aid mastic ribbon passing freely through the space between its associated pair of rollers.

9. In a machine for simultaneously coiling mastic ribbons on a plurality of spools of predetermined ribbon content, a rotary reel, means for supporting a plurality of axially aligned spools rotatably in circumferentially spaced relation on said reel, means for rotating said spools to Wind the mastic ribbons thereon, means for rotating said reel to move a first set of axially aligned spools beyond mastic winding position and simultaneously advance a second set of axially aligned spools into mastic winding position, a plurality of mastic cut-oft" blades movable into the path of'said mastic ribbons and into engage ment with the cores of said newly advanced spools, means on said blades for simultaneously'severing said ribbons and wiping the leading ends of said ribbons on said newly advanced spools so as to institute the winding operation on the latter while supporting the trailing ends of the severed ribbons until the same are substantially delivered to said first set of spools, said means on said blades comprising a plurality of individual resilient elements eachhaving a width greater than the width of each of said mastic ribbons and less than the width of any of said spools, said resilientmembers each having a tapered end portion and a V-shaped notch in its outer edge coacting with the core of its associated spoolv 1 10. 'In a machine for simultaneously coiling mastic ribbonston a plurality of spools of predetermined ribbon content, a rotary reel, means for supporting a plurality of axially aligned spools rotatably in circumferentially spaced relation on said reel,-1neans for rotating said spools to wind the mastic ribbons thereon, means for rotating said reel to move a first set of axially aligned spools beyond mastic winding position and simultaneously advance a second set of axially aligned spools into mastic winding position, a mastic cut- 01f blade movable into the path of said mastic ribbons and into'engagement with the cores of said newly advanced spools, means .onsaid blade ,for simultaneously severing said ribbons and 'wiping the leading ends of said ribbonson said' newly ad vanced spools so as to institute the winding operation on the latter While supporting the trailing ends of the severed ribbons until the same are substantially delivered to said first set of spools, means oscillatably movable in front of said spools and in the path of said mastic ribbons to guide the mastic for even coiling upon said spools.

11. In a machine for simultaneously coiling mastic ribbons on a plurality of spools of predetermined ribbon content, a rotary reel, means for supporting a plurality of spools rotatably in circumferentially spaced relation on said reel, means for rotating said spools to wind the mastic ribbons thereon, means for rotating said reel to move a plurality of spools beyond mastic winding position and simultaneously advance a second set of spools into mastic winding position, a mastic cut-off blade movable into the path of said mastic ribbons and into engagement with the cores of said newly advanced spools, means on said blade for simultaneously severing said ribbons and wiping the leading ends on said newly advanced spools so as to institute the winding operation on the latter while supporting the trailing ends of the severed ribbons until the same are substantially delivered to said first set of spools, said means comprising a plurality of individual resilient elements arranged in series longitudinally of the blade and each having a width greater than the width of each of said mastic ribbons and less than the width of any of said spools, each of said resilient members having a tapered end portion and a V-shaped notch in its outer edge coacting with the core of its associated spool, guide means oscillatably movable in front of said spools and in the path of said mastic ribbons to guide the mastic for even coiling upon said spools, said guide means comprising a plurality of pairs of parallel rollers arranged in series adjacent said spools, each of saidmastic ribbons passing freely through the spaces between its associated pair of rollers, means including a clutch for'etfecting an intermittent simultaneous actuation of said reel, mastic cut-off blade and guide means, and

electrical actuating means operating in timed relation winding position, a mastic cut-oil blade movable into the path of said mastic ribbons and into engagement with the cores of said newly advanced spools, means on said blade for simultaneously severing said ribbons and wiping the leading ends on said newly advanced spools so as to institute the winding operation on said spools while supporting the trailing ends of the severed ribbons until the same are substantially delivered to said first set of spools, said means comprising a plurality of individual resilient elements arranged in series longitudinally of the blade and each having a width greater than the width of any of said mastic ribbons and less than the width of any of said spools, said resilient members each having a taperedend portion and av-shaped notch in its outer edge coacting with the core of its associated spool, guide means oscillatably movable in front of said spools and in the path of'said mastic ribbons to guide the mastic for even coiling upon said spools, said guide means com prising a plurality of pairs of parallel rollers arranged in series adjacent said spools, each of said mastic ribbons passing freely through the spaces between its associated pair of rollers, and means including a clutch for effecting an intermittent simultaneous actuation of said reel and mastic cut-01f blade.

,mastic ribbons thereon, means for rotating said reel to move a plurality of spools beyond mastic winding position and simultaneously advance a second set of spools into mastic winding position, a mastic cut-01f blade movable into the path of said mastic ribbons and into engagement with the cores of said newly advanced spools, means on said blade for simultaneously severing said ribbons and wiping the leading ends of said newly advanced spools so as to institute the Winding operation on said spools While supporting the trailing ends of the severed ribbons until the same are substantially delivered to said first set of spools, said means comprising a plurality of individual resilient elements arranged in series longitudinally of the blade and each having a width greater than the width of said mastic ribbon and less than the width of any of said spools, said resilient members each having a tapered end portion and a V-shaped notch in its outer edge coacting with the core of its associated spool, and means including a clutch for effecting an intermittent simultaneous actuation of said reel and said mastic cut-ofl blade.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

